Eventhough the U.S. has increased the number of translators to translate the languages in the Middle East there is still an overwhelming amount of
information that has not been translated due to backlog that continues to enter the system. The FBI's electronic surveillance interprets Arabic,
Farsi, Urdu and Pashto.
cnn.aimtoday.cnn.com
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI does not have enough translators to handle a growing backlog of documents and intercepts in Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and
Pashto, a federal audit said on Monday, confirming criticism by U.S. elected officials and experts.
An unclassified summary of a July 2004 report by the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general said while the FBI has increased the number of
translators of languages used in the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan, it still cannot keep up with the backlog of material flowing into the
system.
The report was the first audit of the FBI's translating capabilities since the Sept. 11 attacks highlighted a gaping hole in the FBI's ability to
translate and interpret foreign intercepts and documents.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
How is the government supposed to protect us from further terrorist attacks and threats if they cannot translate the information? A general
recommended the FBI improve system storage .
[edit on 28-9-2004 by Banshee]